The invention relates to a device for a closing component of a vehicles, and, more particularly, to a device with a lock stud interacting with a closure such that the lock stud is grasped by the closure and is pulled out of a prelocked initial position into a completely locked end position.
A device is used in the convertible series Mercedes-Benz R 129 series and is provided between the roof frame above the windscreen and a roof cover of the automatically actuable folding top. This device comprises two mirror-image rotary latch closures arranged at a distance from one another on the roof frame and interacting with rigid lock studs arranged on the roof cover.
So that, in a final closing phase of the folding top, the lock studs can penetrate reliably into the insertion orifice of the associated rotary-latch closure, the insertion orifices are respectively located behind a funnel-shaped centering shell which is itself set into a trim covering the roof frame. Because of this, the lock studs have to penetrate deep into the trim of the roof frame even before they can run onto the forked rotary latch of their rotary-latch closure and thereby bring about the pre-engagement position. As soon as the forked rotary latches have reached their pre-engagement position, they are each rotated automatically into their main engagement position by an associated hydraulic cylinder. The lock studs are thereby pulled into their locked end position, and the roof cover is taken up into its closing position.
This pulling of the folding top by the locking advance of the rotary-latch closures functions reliably after the lock studs have reached their pre-engagement position during the closing advance of the closing top. Under customary operating conditions, by exact adjustment of the folding-top structure, together with the lock studs or rotary-latch closures, it is initially possible to ensure that the lock studs are pressed into their prelocked position during the automatic closing of the folding top.
At extreme temperatures, with phenomena of wear of the joints of the folding top structure and on the slight bending deformations of individual rod members of the folding-top structure, a tilting of one or both lock studs in the centering shell can occur, after which the lock studs can no longer be pressed into the rotary-latch closures via the pivoting drive of the folding top.
In such cases, the roof cover has to be pulled forwards manually, until the lock studs have engaged into the rotary-latch closures. Only thereafter is the roof cover pulled into its closing position by its locking advance. A fully automatic actuation of the folding top in response to simple switch pressure is therefore no longer guaranteed.
An object of the present invention is to improve a closing device so that, even when during the closing movement of the closing component a lock stud is in a position which further advance thereof in the depression for effecting the closure, an automatic locking of the closing component with a counter-component can still be brought about.
The foregoing object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing that the pulling travel of the closure can be preceded by a pulling travel of a catch coupling, or that the pulling travel of the closure can be overlapped by an appropriately larger pulling travel of the catch coupling. The catch coupling can consist of a second closure which likewise interacts with a lock stud. However, the utilization of a combination of a closure and an associated lock stud as a catch coupling presupposes that a positive coupling can take place largely independently of the relative position of the lock stud in relation to the closure at the moment of their meeting, and that a sufficient advance of the grasped lock stud in the closure remains possible.
The catch coupling can be constructed as a closure of the type shown, for example, in German Patent Specification 1 555 098, which is actuated by a pressure medium and in which a catch lug interacts with a closing wedge longitudinally movable via a hydraulic cylinder. The closing wedge can be countersunk in the counter-component and nevertheless allow a positive coupling even after only a small advancing travel of the catch lug through a catch orifice of the counter-component.
The pulling device of the present invention is especially suitable for closing components of relatively low closing accuracy, as is true of the roof cover of an automatically actuable vehicle folding top, which can be interlocked with the front roof frame of the body two closures. A single catch coupling can be arranged approximately centrally between the two rotary latch closures so that only a single catch coupling is required for both rotary closures. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to assign a catch coupling to each of the two rotary-latch closures.
It is also presently preferable to provide a uniform linear drive of the rotary-latch closures and of the catch coupling or catch couplings. In this case, all the drive members, such as, e.g., hydraulic cylinders, can be loaded by a common pressure source.